'Great British Bake Off': 13 Most Controversial Moments Ever

For a show about putting cakes in the oven, it's had its fair share of controv.

Over the years, ‘The Great British Bake Off’ has gained a reputation as one of the nicest shows on telly, managing to keep itself as far away from scandal as possible, especially compared to its fellow reality shows like ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Big Brother’.

That said, for a show that revolves around a load of strangers making cupcakes in a tent together, it hasn’t been without its fair share of controversies.

Whether it’s contestants’ antics on camera, or a few ill-advised missteps from producers behind the scenes, ‘Bake Off’ has come under fire on a fair few occasions since its launch in 2010.

Here are just 13 of the most controversial moments in ‘Bake Off’ history...

#BinGate

BBC

The moment none of us could have anticipated would be one of the top entertainment stories of 2014, Iain Watters made headlines when his ruined Baked Alaska wound up in the bin, which he then frustratedly presented to the judges as his finished product.

Diana Gets Bombarded With Hate

BBC

The ramifications of #BinGate were, as previously mentioned, unprecentedly massive. Mainly for Iain's fellow contestant, Diana Beard, who found herself on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse, when she was accused of sabotaging Iain's Baked Alaska.

Paul Hollywood and Sue Perkins both piped up to defend Diana, while a statement from the BBC insisted: "Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain’s departure."

Paul Hollywood Makes The Jump To Channel 4

PA Wire/PA Images

Remember when 'Bake Off' was first announced to have made the jump to Channel 4? Does anyone feel in hindsight the ensuing manic press coverage might have been an overreaction?

Anyway, while Mary Berry decided to jump ship, as did presenters Mel and Sue, out of "loyalty" to the BBC, Paul stuck with the show when it moved to its new home, and people were not happy, with many accusing him of "following the dough" and betraying the BBC.

Again, in hindsight... slight overreaction, no?

Behind-The-Scenes Tension

Channel 4

Shortly after the new-look Channel 4 team was announced, the press was full of reports that they weren't getting along, particularly in comparison to their predecessors, with rumours suggesting Noel and Paul were finding it particularly difficult to locate common ground.

A Channel 4 spokesperson insisted, via a fairly clumsy pun: "[The team] get on brilliantly and together have all the ingredients for a show-stopping series."

Ruby Gets Accused Of Playing Up To The Judges

BBC

Ruby Tandoh found herself in the midst of some really unfair criticism back in 2013, when she was accused of crying to win the judges' sympathy, and even flirting with Paul Hollywood.

She later blasted these claims when she came out two years after, insisting that her detractors were "giant shitting misogynists", which we must admit is hard to argue with.

No But Seriously Who Thought This Icing Was A Good Idea?

BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon

Before the 2016 series had even begun, viewers took to Twitter to voice their disdain when the male and female contestants were given blue or pink icing to pose with, depending on their gender, insisting this perpetrated antiquated stereotypes and even added to larger problems of sexism.

Flora's Aga Rum Do

BBC

Flora Shedden managed to get on the wrong side of viewers back in 2015, when she complained that the show's ovens were tricky for her to use as she had an aga at home.

'Bake Off' is supposed to celebrate everything good about the great British summer, though we think the inclusion of this squirrel's giant testicles in the final edit was possibly 'a bit much'.

Errant Fridges Land The Show In Hot Water

BBC

Back in 2012, the show was accused of product placement to the prominence of Smeg-branded fridges in the 'Bake Off' tent.

When 'Bake Off' guidelines were revised, Smeg were also forced to take down a notice on their website announcing their association with the show.

Innuendo

BBC

Yes, a few cheeky innuendos might seem like a part of 'Bake Off' as integral as bomber jackets and self-raising flour, but viewers have argued over the years that it can often verge on indecent.

Paul Hollywood said in 2014: 'Our whole culture has always been based on it. 'Carry On' films did it for 30 years and then there were cheeky beach picture postcards.'

Prue Accidentally Reveals The Winner

David M. Benett via Getty Images

Prue was at the centre of a media storm at the end of her first series when she prematurely revealed on Twitter that Sophie had won, hours before the final was due to air on TV. She later blamed getting confused with the time difference while on holiday in Bhutan.

The gaffe has been regarded as one of the best / worst in TV history, and she has failed to live in down ever since, admitting she will be locking herself away on future finale nights.